A Metropolis High Exclusive
by whosgotyou
Summary: Clark experiences a brief brush with destiny when he meets an ambitious high school reporter from Metropolis


Authors note: I've been a Superman fan since I was old enough to pee without the aid of a diaper or kiddy potty. If there were one woman that I would have wanted to step into the comic panels and be besides Wonder Woman, it was Lois Lane. What can ya say about her? She was ambitious, smart, sassy and damned if she didn't get the good men. Anyway, this is just a fun little short about what happens when you get to play God with the characters you love for just a little bit.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chloe watched this intruder with growing animosity. She moved through Chloe's journalistic space   
like it was her own.   
  
'Great.' Chloe thought. 'Just what I need. Another dark haired, snippy damsel to mark my   
territory as her own.'  
  
The intruder reached for the cellular phone that lay on the desk before her. Chloe's hand   
encompassed the young girl's wrist.  
  
"Don't you Metropolis girls carry your own phones?"   
  
The girl watched Chloe with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. It wasn't often that she found   
someone with as much spunk as herself. Even in Metropolis.  
  
"Left it at home."  
  
"Listen," Chloe began in a condescending tone that could only be matched by the girl in front of her. "I know that you guys are in the running for the NAHR for your 'hard hitting investigative   
reporting', whatever that means, but this is still Smallville High's turf. And this..."  
  
Chloe dangled the cell before the girl's eyes. "Is my phone. Remember that."   
  
Pocketing the phone, Chloe embarked on a quest down the Smallville High hallway in search of   
someone who might have some information on a radioactive pigeon found in a cornfield just outside   
Smallville. Or some such nonsense. It was what she had told the city girl, anyway. At least it   
was a step up from what she had told the girl's nerdy boy in crime. There were just simply no   
radioactive penguins to be found in Smallville.  
  
"Who's the chick sitting at your desk?"  
  
Chloe barely gave Pete an acknowledging glance as she strode toward the her third period class.  
  
"That 'chick' is from Metropolis High's newspaper."  
  
"Wow."   
  
Chloe shot Pete an indignant look. "Don't sound too impressed, Pete. Their paper is light years   
behind ours."  
  
"Who's light years behind?"   
  
'Dammit.' Chloe thought. 'Did I just jump at his voice? I did. Yes, I did. Dammit. I did.'  
  
Chloe stopped and turned toward Clark. Pete came to a standstill, now oblivious to Chloe's   
differential treatment of he and his best friend.  
  
"Haven't you seen the Metropolis girl reporter, yet?" Chloe asked Clark, noting that he was once   
again wearing blue. What's with that boy and blue?  
  
"I don't think so. Did she move here?" Clark asked, now leading his two friends into the lab.  
  
"No. Thank God. She's here for an 'expose', as she so lovingly calls it, on Luthor Corp for her   
school paper. Seems she wants an interview with Lex regarding his father's acquisition of a steel   
plant just outside Metropolis. But, don't let her impress you yet. Their paper is up for the NAHR   
award, so she's trying to get a big scoop to make their paper 'shine'."   
  
Clark took a seat beside Pete, trying to listen to Chloe, but noticing Lana at the front of the lab   
as he sat down.   
  
"NAHR?"  
  
Chloe tried her best to ignore the direction in which Clark's eyes had wondered.  
  
"National Association of High School Reporting."  
  
Clark raised an eyebrow at Chloe. "They have an association for that type of thing?"  
  
"Of course." Chloe snipped. "Many great up and coming journalists have once won that award."  
  
"Well, if it's any consolation, Chloe, I think you deserve it." Clark offered with his award   
winning, Betty Crocker, 'Mama, bake me some apple pie' smile.  
  
"Who said I wanted it?" Chloe snapped.   
  
Clark pulled his attention from Lana's profile as a matronly, middle aged woman stepped before the   
lab. Thank God for subtle changes.  
  
______________________________  
  
"I don't see why you're so interested in this article, Clark. It's just an article I wrote a year   
ago about how the weather patterns have changed so drastically since the meteor shower."   
  
Clark walked behind Chloe, listening intently. If anyone would ever discover his secret on their   
own, it would be Chloe. Chloe had a mind for detail and abstract connections that would be the   
envy of most "hard hitting" reporters. Clark had no doubt that Chloe would one day be an award   
winning journalist herself. It was, in fact, Chloe who unknowingly led Clark to discover more   
about his own past, present and destiny.   
  
"It's in a file cabinet in..." Chloe stopped short as she opened the door to find the city girl   
still sitting in the place she had left her. As they stepped in, she slammed down the rotary phone   
with a resounding thud.  
  
"Problems?" Chloe asked with a tinge of 'kiss my country butt, city girl'.  
  
"Lex Luthor has to be the most difficult man to get in touch with on the face of this planet." She   
quipped barely acknowledging the pair that was now intruding on her temporary space.  
  
'No. The most difficult man to get in touch with on this planet is directly behind me.' Chloe   
thought to herself.  
  
"Lex?" Clark said aloud, watching the dark haired girl before him with growing curiosity. "Are   
you trying to go through Lionel's assistant to talk to Lex?"  
  
The girl's head snapped up. The farm boy in front of her suddenly had her attention.  
  
"Clark this is Lois Lane. She's from Metropolis High and she's supposed to have had an interview   
with Lex about three hours ago. Lois, this is Clark - strapping farm boy recently married to the   
color blue."  
  
Lois ignored Chloe and began to pull Clark by the arm, leading him out into the hall.  
  
"Do you happen to know Lex, Clark, is it?" She asked.  
  
Clark let himself be pulled by the short, brunette before him. "Yeah, it's Clark...Kent. And yes,   
We're friends. Close friends, actually.".  
  
Clark barely noticed the other dark haired girl who stood beside her locker watching the pair.   
  
"Hey, Clark!" Lana rang out.  
  
"Do you think you could take me to him?" Lois asked, looking up at Clark.  
  
"Sure." Clark answered and gave a quick wave to Lana.   
  
  
_________________  
  
"Wow. This is the Luthor place." Lois said aloud, marveling at the structure that seemed grossly   
out of place in Smallville.  
  
"Yeah. Lex's dad had it practically shipped here from Scotland. Kinda crazy, huh?"   
  
"Crazy doesn't even begin to cover the Luthors."   
  
Clark put the truck in park and quickly made his way around the cab to open Lois' door, only to   
find her already departing for the entrance of the Luthor mansion.  
  
"Hey! Maybe you should let me...." Clark yelled out as he approached only to see Lois facing down   
a closing door.  
  
Lois turned to Clark, "For Smallville, you people sure do have some Metropolis rudeness going on   
around here."  
  
Clark smiled at Lois and reached for the doorbell. Lois watched as Clark's arm brushed past her   
and pressed the bell.  
  
"You do that well." Lois said, watching Clark withdraw his arm. "Ringing. Doorbell ringing, that   
is. Totally lost art form, ringing of the bell. I'm sure your ancestors would be proud."   
  
Lois turned away from Clark, trying in vein to hide her blushing face from the farm boy behind her.   
'Damn those farm boy biceps!', she thought.  
  
Finally, the door opened. The woman who had just closed the door in Lois' face once again stared   
at the girl with disdain, but quickly changed expressions when she saw Clark.  
  
"Clark! Come in. Lex is upstairs in the study."  
  
"Thanks." Clark offered as the woman led them into the mansion.  
  
Lois turned to Clark, watching him for the first time with slight admiration. "I should keep you   
in my pocket in Metropolis. You're quite useful.".  
  
__________________________________________  
  
"How's it going, Clark?" Lex asked, glancing curiously at the girl behind Clark. Lex raised an   
eyebrow at Clark. Lex noted the goofy smile that Clark returned. Interesting.  
  
"Lex, this is Lois Lane. She's from Metropolis High's paper and she came over to Smallville just   
to interview you."  
  
Lex smiled and winked. Lois noted the wink as Clark excused himself from the room and Lex offered   
Lois the first Luthor exclusive of many to come.  
  
__________________________________________  
  
Clark was a little bit miffed that he had to abandon the lovely Miss Lane at Lex's house. He knew   
that Lex would provide a ride for her return to Smallville High. If only the ailing cow, now free   
of the barbwire that had surrounded her, hadn't bellowed quite so loud, he wouldn't have felt   
guilty for not saving one of Kent's prized livestock.  
  
  
Lois walked out of the study to find Clark gone. "Where's Clark?" Lois asked the woman who had,   
only moments ago, slammed a large door in her face.   
  
"He had to run out. Said he was sorry, but he remembered that he had a chore to do." The woman   
explained. Lois stared at the woman for what seemed like an eternity.  
  
"Are you alright?" Lex asked after the odd silence.  
  
"Yeah." Lois answered, quickly regaining her composure. "Just a bit of deja vu, I guess. If you   
believe in that sort of thing."   
  
Lex smiled. "Quite common around this town, I suppose.".  
  
Lois nodded. This was an interesting town. If only she could stay a bit longer, she wondered,   
what other secrets might she uncover. She looked down at the tape recorder in her hand. There   
would be plenty of time for that. Later. 


End file.
